Cynthia D. Griffin

Category: books

Book Review: The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu

February 6th, 2015

The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu is available on Kindle and in Paperback

I never even heard of this book or author before picking up the Lives of Tao, so I had no idea what to expect. But this book was on the list to read for my book club, so I purchased it and started to read. And I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.

The first chapter was a little confusing until I figured out what was going on (that there was actually a sentient being inside the character’s head that was talking to him and the guy wasn’t just plain bonkers), but by chapter two Wesley Chu had me anxiously awaiting to see what happened next.

Enter Roen Tan an over-weight, out-of-shape slob with no real prospects beyond his life of video games, frozen pizzas, and the occasional party night with his roommate. Just a boring, unexceptional life… that is until Roen starts hearing a voice talking inside his head and it’s definitely not his own. And things just get weirder from there (but in a really good way). And so a story of humor and razor edge danger unfolds as Roen learns to adjust to this new unexpected change in his life.

(more…)
Book Review: A Dirty Job By Christopher Moore

January 30th, 2015

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore is available in paperback and Kindle.

Yep, death has a new name and it goes by Death Merchant. Charlie unwittingly becomes one of the secret collectors after the devastating death of his wife. Only Charlie has no idea what a Death Merchant is or why he keeps seeing things glow red, why the shadows seem to be stalking him, or why it seems everyone he meets dies.

Left alone to raise his new-born daughter and manage his small business, things only get worse as an average “beta male” Charlie Asher gets deeper and deeper into the bizarreness of his new job of collecting souls. He must contend with vengeful sewer harpies that mock him at every turn and his own ignorance in a race to save the fate of the world and death itself.

(more…)
Book Review: Lamb by Christopher Moore

January 23rd, 2015

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore is available in Paperback and Kindle.

What kind of boyhood did Jesus Christ have? The cleverly adept Christopher Moore decided to put his own spin on the Son of God’s time on Earth and fill in the blanks where the four gospels and history left us all hanging.

The story is told through Levi who is called Biff. Christ’s childhood friend you never knew existed. Raised from the dead by a snarky angel Raziel (who also loves soap operas and pizza), Biff tells the story of his best friend Joshua (the name Jesus is actually a Greek translation of his Hebrew name Yeshua).

This delightful “fifth gospel” tells a striking tale as the two boys grow up in the farming town of Nazareth where Joshua is in turmoil over his destiny to become the Messiah. How does one become the Messiah anyway? Why doesn’t God just tell Joshua what he was sent to Earth to do? So at the age of thirteen, Joshua sets out from his small town to find his destiny with Biff in tow.

(more…)
Book Review: Severance by Chris Bucholz

January 16th, 2015

Severance by Chris Bucholz is available on Kindle and in paperback.

This is exactly the kind of book I love––a science fiction that’s super fun to read. I laughed and laughed at the adventures of Stein and Bruce and was quite sad when the story ended. As in all great books, I wanted it to go on and on.

Set on a generation ship in the last stages of its trip to a new world for colonization, this novel dives deep into the pitfalls of what would happen if thousands upon thousands of people spent two hundred plus years crammed into a ship in space. Included is a most deliciously twisted government that goes head to head with a righteously convicted military and all the little people stuck in between.
(more…)
Book Review: The Lost Level by Brain Keene

January 9th, 2015

The Lost Level by Brain Keene is available on Kindle and Paperback.
Aaron Pace is stuck in time and space in a place called the Lost Level. Anything can happen in this bizarre place where the sun never sets and the local vegetation can attack at a moments notice. A place where a battling robot and a Tyrannosaurus Rex can actually happen, and Nazi spaceships can be stumbled upon during a walk in a grassy field. And where strange snake men with human flesh to adorn their scaly hides are a nemesis to any wayward traveler.

(more…)